Christmas Eve Notables

1. Made sure that I borrowed a car from a friend large enough to handle every neighborhood kid coming with us to Christmas Eve service and then back to our house for soup, presents and fusbol tonight. Leaving one at the curb will simply not do.

2. Called another friend to arrange delivery of his used furniture to a woman in the neighborhood who has nothing for her grandchildren to sleep on. She's available at 3pm today. (What a great gift this will be!)

3. Answered a phone call from out of the blue from a man who was drunk, who somehow got my number. Prayed with him on the phone and got him information on assistance with alcoholism.

4. Watched Tina peel potatoes. It is strangely comforting.

5. Finished varnishing a picture frame I made from an old redwood fencepost pulled from a neighbor's yard to go around a new stained glass piece I made for a loved one.

6. Heard from another friend who wants us to come over later after the neighborhood kids go home.

And it's not even noon! Thank you, God, for your presence in this day. We give you the rest of it, and will watch for you to appear in unexpected ways.

A Beautiful Delusion

I lived atop a pillar these last nine months
It's fluted scrolls rising above, kissing clouds,
The stately straightness of its vision lifting me to fantasy heights.
Expecting the necessary contractions of birth,
Ready,
Eager,
Instead, the quiet reckoning of a stillborn dream listlessly
Dangles over the edge.
The eagle's nest is abandoned,
The perch a delusion,
But the remnant fog in my lungs is a
Painful gift.

White Got Buzzed

Thank you to all who offered kind words about the Fresno Bee spread that profiled our work in the Neighborhood on Sunday. The Bee journalist, Guy Keeler, did a thorough job, and we appreciated the sensitivity and focus of his reporting.

For those who missed it, you can check it out (minus most of the pictures) at http://www.intervarsity.org/aboutus/pressroom/index.php#IV-in-the-news

or

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/238217.html